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Crossstich · 28/08/2023 15:18

TheSquareMile · 28/08/2023 15:09

He's beautiful and very naughty!

I would be inclined to go to a card shop this afternoon and buy a lovely blank greetings card to send to the people whose house he got into.

You can write a note of sincere apology for the damage he has done and explain how he came to get into the house.

You could then add that you would like to contribute to the cost of the clearing up of what he has done.

If you give your mobile number, they can then ring you at their convenience when they are at the house. I don't know what they will say - the best solution might be for you to pay for a cleaner to spend an hour in the house later in the week.

If you pop it through their door this afternoon, you will be on the way to putting this upsetting time behind you.

Edited

Surely they should pay for the whole cost not just contribute to it?

ifIwerenotanandroid · 28/08/2023 15:18

MavisMcMinty · 28/08/2023 14:49

I mean, I hope you know that, not I hope he’s straight back in there after his Dreamies.

Cats don’t learn lessons, it’s why they’re given nine lives.

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Must admit, my cat went straight up the same tree the day after she was rescued from it! Luckily she found her own way down this time, very quickly.

OP, I'm so glad you have your cat back. And what a beauty he is! Kudos to the builder.

TheSquareMile · 28/08/2023 15:18

FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper · 28/08/2023 15:13

You could then add that you would like to contribute to the cost of the clearing up of what he has done.

That makes it sound like you're doing them a kindness, rather than just paying them what you rightfully owe them.

I wouldn't use the word 'contribute' unless you really want to sound like a massive CF.

Yes, there will be a good way of phrasing it which doesn't involve the word 'contribute'. Maybe something simpler along the lines of 'pay for the damage he has done' and then wait to see what their assessment of the cost of that will be.

It's difficult to know how much the cost will be as things stand, I imagine.

It may be that they will want to speak to their insurers initially.

munchmagic · 28/08/2023 15:18

@Catsos so glad he's been freed!
My cat is also a Turkish angora and also a similar temperament from what you've said. Beautiful breed 🤍

Charrington · 28/08/2023 15:19

So happy to read this outcome

Redburnett · 28/08/2023 15:20

Best thread ever - definitely a MN Classic! Not just because of all your efforts but the strange ideas of various posters.
So glad your DCat was liberated - what were the chances of your new neighbours having a cat tunnel with a right angle bend? For future reference try drain rods which might have enough flexibility to get round with a lot of effort.

NopeNopeNoper · 28/08/2023 15:20

Hmmm, so why haven’t you phoned the owners of the house?

JenWillsiam · 28/08/2023 15:20

You’re going to have to cover all costs I’m afraid. You’re entirely responsible for this. Not much money or not you need to find it. If they don’t own cats then they might be happy with a clean but as someone who owns cats I would want a new rug as it’s pretty much impossible to fully clean them and cats will start using it as a toilet.

MollyRover · 28/08/2023 15:22

DeanElderberry · 28/08/2023 15:15

Having a cat flap that lets animals into your house but not out again sounds like an invitation to disaster, particularly if you are going to leave your house empty. - I'm remembering a tale of an empty holicay cottage and a pine marten that I was told by people who cleaned for me and for the hoilday cottage - the pine marten got in via the roof not via a cat flap, but it did thousands of euros worth of damage before it died (cleaning crew were very sad about the poor animal).

The OP has already said that the cat has a reputation for breaking cat flaps in the neighbourhood, she hasn't a leg to stand on. The cat has damaged their property and has form for it, he needs to be kept inside. This could have had a much worse outcome and was entirely preventable.

JenWillsiam · 28/08/2023 15:22

PumpkinsAndCoconuts · 28/08/2023 14:56

I agree. This clearly wasn’t entirely your fault, OP.

an open cat flap obviously comes with the risk of critters (foxes, cats, wildlife) getting in.

a one way cat flap that traps the critter inside the house (!) is simply idiotic.

And they are very lucky that you saw your cat and tried everything to get him out.

having to deal with a neighbour’s dead pet due to their faulty cat flap wouldn’t have been a pleasant experience for them either…

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Come off it. I’ve had cat flaps for 30 years and only one thing ever came in. A cat.

Oddsocks55 · 28/08/2023 15:23

What a beautiful cat. I'm so glad you managed to get hold of the builders and they let him out :)

SmudgeButt · 28/08/2023 15:23

So glad you managed to free the cat with the nice builder's assistance. He's obviously a cat lover too!!! Please post an update when you talk to the owners. I hope they are nice about it all. If the house is being reno'd chances are they will be happy to have you help with cleaning up/paying for cleaning/whatever. I'd be making sure there was a note through the letter box and a box of chocolates or something suitable as a sweetener. Otherwise they're walking into to a catty smelling house with an eau du crabstick twist. 🐱

And....I suspect that somewhere there was a toilet available so the cat could get a drink. Icky of course but completely acceptable to keep a kitten hydrated!!

GrandTheftWalrus · 28/08/2023 15:23

NopeNopeNoper · 28/08/2023 15:20

Hmmm, so why haven’t you phoned the owners of the house?

Because she's not psychic and can guess their numbers.

Procrastinatingbecauseithelps · 28/08/2023 15:24

I wouldn’t accept someone saying ‘I’ll clean your rug’.

You would be buying me a new one. They’re not forking out all this money for renovations and new fixtures, fittings and decorations to have it christened with cat piss.

Your cat has already damaged their walls, broken their car flat and pee’d on their floor. The least you can do is offer to replace it from the off. Your home insurance should cover it

CoffeeLover90 · 28/08/2023 15:24

Catsos · 28/08/2023 14:44

My boy has been liberated 🙌 thanks to the kind builder.

He’s had a good drink/meal and is now relaxing in MY garden :)

Unfortunately he has done some damage inside the house…lots of muddy paw marks on the walls were he was scratching to get out, broken catflap and unfortunately he had a wee on a white rubbish bag which was on the floor. The white bag captured some of the wee but some has gone onto the wooden floors and the rug beside it. It’s a huge rug (about 2 x 3 meters) and I’m guessing expensive :/ Apparently the new owners are coming tomorrow - I’ll offer to have it cleaned, hopefully that will be enough as I don’t have much money right now. 😩

The face of no regrets 😂 Thank god for Irish builder. Definitely offer to pay for cleaning, maybe a little token, flowers, little house warming present as an apology.

saltinesandcoffeecups · 28/08/2023 15:24

Glad the great escape was successful. Any word on the crab sticks?

foolishone · 28/08/2023 15:26

Procrastinatingbecauseithelps · 28/08/2023 15:24

I wouldn’t accept someone saying ‘I’ll clean your rug’.

You would be buying me a new one. They’re not forking out all this money for renovations and new fixtures, fittings and decorations to have it christened with cat piss.

Your cat has already damaged their walls, broken their car flat and pee’d on their floor. The least you can do is offer to replace it from the off. Your home insurance should cover it

Yeah I agree. Whilst I'd be sympathetic to your worry about your cat, I'd still want all damage made good. The smell of cat wee alone would be such a pain to get rid of.

@Catsos are you going to keep your cat in now or get a catio for your garden? Surely you can't keep allowing this to happen?

OnlyFannys · 28/08/2023 15:27

PumpkinsAndCoconuts · 28/08/2023 14:56

I agree. This clearly wasn’t entirely your fault, OP.

an open cat flap obviously comes with the risk of critters (foxes, cats, wildlife) getting in.

a one way cat flap that traps the critter inside the house (!) is simply idiotic.

And they are very lucky that you saw your cat and tried everything to get him out.

having to deal with a neighbour’s dead pet due to their faulty cat flap wouldn’t have been a pleasant experience for them either…

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The rotten crab sticks are a pretty good revenge for their carelessness 😂

Nopenopenopenopenopenope · 28/08/2023 15:28

I need to know if you retrieved the crab sticks!

AliceOlive · 28/08/2023 15:31

He is gorgeous and I’m so glad he’s safe. 💕💕💕

pilates · 28/08/2023 15:32

Glad you managed to rescue him 👍🏻

PumpkinsAndCoconuts · 28/08/2023 15:32

OnlyFannys · 28/08/2023 15:27

The rotten crab sticks are a pretty good revenge for their carelessness 😂

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Wait… they’re still there ?? Goodness 😂🙈🙈

DeanElderberry · 28/08/2023 15:33

The owners left their house unsecured. A cat got in. They were lucky that the cat's owner was responsible and aware and arranged to have it let out. The cats previous actions are irrelevant - cat owners are not responsible in law for the actions of cats - it's different from the law around dogs.

That said, I'm all in favour of cats living indoors - it's better for wildlife and safer for the cats.

Haggisfish3 · 28/08/2023 15:34

Ah I’m so pleased you got him out.

FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper · 28/08/2023 15:34

I'm not convinced she owes them anything - they left their house set up as a cat trap, and it trapped a cat. I don't see that that is her fault.

So does every cat owner on this thread ensure that they lock their cat flap every single time they go on holiday or are away overnight?

The sad story about the pine marten upthread shows that animals will find any possible way in that they can, and I don't think you can blame the owner for not having a hermetically-sealed home. Letterboxes, drain pipes, air vents, tumble dryer outlets - all standard openings in a normal home.

Obviously, if it's a wild animal, then all damages will have to be covered by the home owner, as nobody owns it - and nobody ultimately feels devastated if it dies; but if it's an animal that somebody is supposed to love and be responsible for, why should they not pay?

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